Konstantin Schmidt von Knobelsdorf (

Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...

, 13 December 1860 –

Glücksburg Glücksburg (; da, Lyksborg) is a small town northeast of Flensburg in the district Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and is the northernmost town in Germany. It is situated on the south side of the Flensborg Fjord, an inlet ...

, 1 September 1936) was a Prussian military officer, and a general in the First World War.Erich Kassing, ''Schlacht um Verdun – Schmidt von Knobelsdorf, Konstantin, General'' (German) He joined the German army at the age of 18. By 1912 he was

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and Oberquartiermeister of the

German General Staff The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (german: Großer Generalstab), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the German Army, responsible for the continuou ...

. In 1914 he was promoted to

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

. At the outbreak of World War I, he became Chief of Staff of the 5th German Army, which was formally led by

Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last ''Kaiser'', the German Emperor, Wilhelm II, and his consort Augusta Victoria of Schl ...

. But the Crown Prince was only thirty-two years old and had never commanded a unit larger than a regiment, and was therefore ordered by his father the Emperor to always follow the advice of his experienced Chief of Staff. Schmidt von Knobelsdorf was one of the main architects of the plans to launch a major attack against the French at Verdun in February 1916. As de facto leader of the 5th Army, it was also Schmidt von Knobelsdorf who directed the attack and who pushed for victory at all costs. This led to several conflicts with the Crown Prince. When the attacks didn't deliver the expected results, Schmidt von Knobelsdorf was awarded the Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves on 21 August 1916, and moved to command the

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * X ...

at the Eastern Front. As Chief of Staff of the 5th Army, he was replaced by

Walther von Lüttwitz Walther Karl Friedrich Ernst Emil Freiherr von Lüttwitz (2 February 1859 – 20 September 1942) was a German general who fought in World War I. Lüttwitz is best known for being the driving force behind the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch of 1920 ...

. Until the end of the war, he remained commander of the X Corps, which was moved to the Western Front by the end of 1916. He was promoted to

General of the Infantry General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imp ...

just before the Armistice. Schmidt von Knobelsdorf retired from the Army on 30 September 1919.

References

External links

Lexikon Erster Weltkrieg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt Von Knobelsdorf, Konstantin 1860 births 1936 deaths German Army generals of World War I Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) People from Frankfurt (Oder) Generals of Infantry (Prussia) Military personnel from Brandenburg